Well testing valve



April 10, 1956 B. A. DETERS WELL TESTING VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 11, 1951 I N V EN TOR. 59062 ,4. 957595 Ami 10, 1956 B. A. DETERSWELL TESTING VALVE Filed Sept. 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

States WELL TESTBNG VALVE Application September 11, 1951, Serial No.246,123

4 Ciairns. (Cl. 166-435) This invention relates to an oil well tool andthe method of operating the same.

In the co-pending application of myself and William W. Butler entitled,Back Circulator Device, Serial No. 238,134, filed July 23, 1951, nowPatent No. 2,645,288, issued July 14, 1953, there is disclosed a deviceincluding a laterally ported housing adapted to be incorporated in adrill string, specifically in a formation tester secured to the lowerend of a drill string. The ports of the housing are initially closed byan impact responsive sleeve which is adapted to be moved to a positionuncovering the ports when struck by a go-devil dropped from the surface.Thereafter, back-scuttlingthrough the ports can take place.

After back-scuttling, it is usually desired to remove the formationtester. The tester has a packer blocking oi the well bore or wellcasing. This packer during the setting thereof and during the subsequentoperations of testing a formation frequently becomes very tightly stuckin place and cannot be readily removed without the possibility of damageto the packer, the formation tester or drill string.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a method ofand apparatus for permitting the easy removal of the packer even thoughthe packer is tightly stuck in place.

More specifically, it is a main object of the present invention toprovide a housing having spaced upper and lower valve seats verticallydisposed one on either side of laterally extending ports in the walls ofthe housing, and within which housing there is a centrally bored dropvalve adapted to seat on the valve seats of the housing to close off theports and permit the pumping of fluid down through the drill string,through the formation tester and drop valve to below the packer to applya force on the under side of the packer which when combined with anupward pull on the drill string enables ready removal of the packer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved dropvalve.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a drill string having secured to the lower end thereof aformation tester and above which tester is disposed a device embodyingthe concepts of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the upper portion of thearrangement disclosed in Fig. 1, showing a laterally ported housing withthe ports thereof closed by an impact responsive sleeve. I

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the impact responsivesleeve as having been moved to a port uncovering position by theengagement therewith of a go-devil.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the godevil as havingbeen removed and a drop. valve, WhlCh is dropped down the well, seatedagainst the spaced upper and lower seats provided by the housing.

Meat

2,741,314 Patented Apr. 10, 1956 Fig. 5 is a horizontal section takenalong lines 5--5 of Fig. 2 showing the manner of supporting the sleevewithin the housing.

The invention will be described with reference to a drill string havinga formation tester secured to the lower end thereof, but the inventionis not intended to be specifically limited to a drill string having theparticular formation tester disclosed incorporated therein or limited toa drill string having a formation tester of any type incorporatedtherein, since the present invention provides broadly for the closingoff of laterally disposed ports and the simultaneous provision of alongitudinal passageway through a drill string or the like.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, the apparatus disclosedin Fig. 1 includes a formation tester generally entitled 9 having a dropvalve assembly 11 incorporates therein, said drop valve assembly beingconnected by a sub 13 to the lower end of the drill string (not shown).The formation tester disclosed is set out in detail on pages 2571 and2573 of the Composite Catalog of Oil Field and Pipe Line Equipment, 1950edition, and therefore will be only generally referred to.

The formation tester 9 includes a trip valve assembly 15, adapted to beopened by dropping a trip valve godevil down the drill string, and aretaining valve assembly 17 adapted to be opened, after a packer 19 isset, by partially telescoping the formationtester. A compression spring21 is compressed by this telescopic movement and serves to again closethe retaining valve when the weight of the drill string isrelieved.There is also an equalizing valve assembly 23 for bypassing the packerand for equalizing pressure below and above the packer when it isdesired to remove the packer. Below the packer there is a preforatedanchor 25 through which the native or connate fluid is adapted to flowinto the formation tester 9 up through the retaining valve 17, tripvalve 15, and into the drill string.

After the formation test is completed, it is frequently desirable tobring the connate fluid, gas and the like to the surface under controlby a back-scuttling operation. In the present invention, thisbaclqscuttling can be accomplished through the drop valve assembly 11.After back-scuttling, it is then desirable to remove the packer 19.Frequently, the packer becomes tightly stuck in the well bore due to theoriginal setting operation and subsequent formation testing operationsand is not readily removed without possible damage to the packer orformation tester and drill string. By the present invention, after theback-scuttling operation is completed, fluid under pressure can beforced down through the drill string, through the formation tester, andto a point below the packer 19 to thereby apply a force upwardly on theunder side of the packer and formation tester urging the packer tounseat so that by a combined upward force on the under side of thepacker and an upward pull on the drill string, the packer can beunseated without damage to the packer, formation tester or drill string.

The drop valve assembly 11 includes a tubular housing 31 connected bypreviously mentioned sub 13 to the drill string and by a lower sub 33 tosections of drill pipe which in turn are connected to the formationtester 9. Tubular housing 31 is counter bored at 35 to slidably receivea sleeve 37, which sleeve, when in the position shown in Fig. 2, isadapted to close ports 39 provided by bushings 41 threadedly receivedwithin bores 43 formed in tubular housing 31. For preventing leakagearound the exterior of sleeve 37, suitable 0 rings 45 are provided onthe interior of tubular housing 31 in sealing engagement with sleeve 37.

Sleeve 37 is maintained in port-closing position by a deformable annulus47 having inwardly extending fingers upon which rest depending arms 49preferably formed integrally with sleeve 37. Deformable annulus 47 isclamped in place between a downwardly facing shoulder 51 formed onhousing 31 and the upper end of sub 33 threadedly received by the lowerend of housing 31. Arms 49 may have the exterior surfaces thereofserrated as shown.

Sleeve 37 has an upwardly diverging valve seat 55 formed thereon, andtubular housing 31 has an upwardly diverging valve seat 57 formedthereon, the upper valve seat 57 having a mean diameter substantiallygreater than the mean diameter of the lower valve seat 55, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2,

After a formation test is made, and it is-desired to back-suttle throughports 39, a suitable go-devil 59 can be dropped down the drill stringfor engagement with sleeve 37 to force the sleeve downwardly uncoveringports 39 While simultaneously deforming the fingers of deformableannulus 47. The engagement of the fingers of the annulus 47 with arms 49will prevent subsequent upward movement of the sleeve 37. After droppinggo-devil 59, it is obvious that a back-scuttling operation can takeplace through ports 39, fluid being pumped down between the exterior ofthe drill string and the walls of the well bore through the ports 39 andupwardly through the drill string bringing the connate fluid, gas andthe like to the surface under control.

After this back-scuttling operation, it is desirable to remove thepacker 19. To permit ready removal of the packer 19 in the mannerpreviously described, a drop valve geenrally entitled 61 is provided andis dropped down the drill string after the go-devil 59 has been fishedout of the formation'tester and drill string.-

Drop valve 61 comprises a valve body 63 having an enlarged centralportion 65, a reduced upwardly extending stem 67 and a reduceddownwardly extending stem 69. A central bore 71 extends through thevalve body 63.- Enlarged portion 65 of valve body 63 terminates in adownwardly diverging frusto-conical shoulder 73 against which isdisposed a resilient seating element 75 slidably receivable ondownwardly extending stem 69 and having its upward face formedcomplementary to the shoulder 73. Also slidably received on downwardlyextending stem 69 is a rigid guard 77 engaging the lower end ofresilient seating element 75. Guard 77 has an upwardly divergingfrusto-conical face 77a suitably annularly recessed at 77b tocomplementarily receive the lower end of resilient seating element 75.Guard 77 and resilient seating element 75 are retained on stem 69 by anut 81 threadedly received by the stern.

Guard 77 will normally be disposed in engagement with nut 81 but can beforced upwardly away from the nut when the drop valve is dropped downthe well to allow firm seating of the lower resilient seating element 75and also firm seating of an upper resilient seating element 83 providedon the upper end of valve body 63, which is to be described more indetail hereinafter.

The peripheral surface of guard 77 diverges upwardly, as is clearlyapparent from Fig. 4, complementary to the inclination of valve seatprovided by sleeve 37. The periphery of resilient seating element 75likewise has a complementary upwardly diverging seating surface 75a forengagement with seat 55 of sleeve 37.

Resilient seating element 83, previously mentioned, surrounds stem 67and is disposed against an upwardly diverging frusto-conical shoulder 85provided by enlargement 65. Resilient seating element 33 is retained inplace by a nut 87 threadedly received on stem 67 and having a downwardlydiverging frusto-conical face 87a ment '83 diverges upwardlycomplementary to valve seat 7 57 formed on tubular housing 31.

The operation of the drop valve is as follows: After 4 theback-scuttling operation, the go-devil 59 is fished out of thedrillstring and thereafter the drop valve 61 is dropped down the drillstring. The guard 77 and the resilient seating element willsimultaneously engage valve seat 55 formed on sleeve 37, such impactforcing guard 77 upwardly, somewhat compressing the resilient seatingelement 75 and allowing a full tight engagement 7 of resilient seatingelement 83 with its valve face 57. As is apparent from Fig. 4, the meandiameter of resilient seating element 75 is substantially less than themean diameter of the resilient seating element 83, allowing theresilient seating element 75 to readily pass by the valve seat 57 andinto engagement with valve seat 55. Ports 39 are closed oflf by suchseating of drop valve 61 and thereafter fluid under pressure may bepumped'down the drill string through the drop valve 61, out through theanchor 25 and thus apply a force against the under side of packer 19 tourge the packer upwardly. By the combined force of fluid pressure on theunder side of packer 19 and an upward pull on the drill string, thepacker can be readily unseated without damage to the packer or to theformation tester or drill string.-

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patentis:

1. A well testing drop valve comprising a centrally bored valve body,and spaced upper and lower resilient seating elements on the body forseating on spaced valve seats, the lower seating elements having amovable guard forwardly thereof for engagement with a valve seat tocompress the lower seating element at the same time as the upper seatingelement seats on theupper valve seat.

2. A well testing drop valve comprising a centrally bored valve body,and spaced upper and lower resilient seating elements on the bodyfor'seating on spaced valve seats, the lower seating element having amovable guard forwardly thereof for engagement with a valve seat tocompress the lower seating element at the same time as the upper seatingelement seats on the, upper valve seat, each seating element having anupwardly diverging frusto-conical peripheral surface to provide for atight seating condition when the valve is dropped down a drill stringand lands on spaced upper and lower upwardly diverging frusto-conicalvalve seats.

3. A well testing drop valve comprising a centrally bored valve body,and spaced upper and lower resilient seating elements on the body forseating on spaced valve seats, the upper seating element having a largermean diameter than the lower seating element, the lower seating elementhaving a movable guard forwardly thereof for engagement with a valveseat to compress the lower seating element at the same time as the upperseating element seats on the upper valve seat, each seating elementhaving an upwardly diverging frusto-conical peripheral surface toprovide for a tight seating condition when the valve is dropped down adrill string and lands on spaced upper and lower upwardly divergingfrustoconical seats.

4. An oil Well tool comprising a' tubular housing adapted to beincorporated in a drill string and having a port communicating theexterior of the housing with the interior thereof, said housing havingspaced upper and lower internal valve seats thereon disposed one oneither side of the port, and a drop valve removably dis posed' withinthe housing,'said valve comprising an imperforate tubular memberhavingfspaced upper and lower resilient seating elements mounted thereonyieldingly engaging said spaced valve seats to seal off ingress oregress of fluid through the port while permitting passage of fluidthrough the bore of said tubular housing, a'movable guard elementslidably embracing said tubular member forwardly Refexences Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Macready Jan. 1, 1929 JohnstonJan. 27. 1931 10 I 6 Macready' Feb. 7, 1933 Johnston Mar. 9, 1937 ThomasApr. 13, 1937 Chrisman May 24, 1938 Haslam Jan. 7, 1941 Johnston Dec.28, 1943 Brown et a1. July 30, 1946 Deters et a1 July 14, 1953

